Unit Six Sixty Six
by xXWeaponPrimeXx
Summary: The Advanced Cybernetic Weapons Program. Giving dead soldiers and civilians a second chance to work for the country. But what are the consequences of life after death.
1. Chapter 1: Questioning Nature

**T**he room was a pristine and sterile white, made brighter by the single lamp embedded in the ceiling. A small titanium table was bolted to the floor in the center of the room with a simple folding chair on one side and a titanium amalgam of straps and restraints on the opposite. A drab brown folder rested on the table, opened to reveal numerous papers and photos and next to it sat an ominous black helmet, its reflective blast shield dark red in color.

A man stood in the corner, a cigarette clamped between his lips. He looked up into the video camera and nodded slightly. The metal door clanked open and a mountain of a man in a white uniform stepped in.

"Are you ready, Doc?" he asked. The doctor turned and nodded.

"Yes. Bring him in, Zeke." he replied, taking a seat in the folding chair and extinguishing the smoldering butt of his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. Zeke stepped out and gestured into the room with a stun baton.

"Orson, Doc says bring him in." Slowly another orderly walked into the room, pushing a dolly with a steel container resembling a coffin resting on it. The uniformed men wheeled it over to the restraint chair and looked back at the doctor one last time.

"Last chance Doc, once we open this all bets are off." Orson said. The 'Doc' nodded and pulled another cigarette from the pack tucked into his breast pocket.

"I know, but we need to do this. It's our job," he said as he lit the cigarette and took a long drag. "Open it."

The uniformed men hesitantly pressed a few small buttons on the console embedded into the container. With a hiss the container opened, like Dracula's coffin in the old movies, roiling fog spilled out. The uniformed men held their batons out nervously as the fog began to settle. A single thing stood inside. It stood over six feet tall and was clad in a dark red mesh with black armored pads resting on it. Its head was decidedly human, but his right eye was replaced with a cybernetic monocle and a respirator was affixed over his nose and mouth. His other eye was surrounded in a patchwork of surgical scars and gashes.

"Unit Six Sixty Six. Are you active?" the doctor asked. The container was eerily quiet. Slowly the cybernetic eye lit up, glowing a bright red as his remaining normal eye flicked open.

"Yes."

The orderlies flinched noticeably and took a step back; Zeke adjusted his grip on his Shock Baton nervously. The doctor set his cigarette down and gestured for him to come forward.

"Unit Six Sixty Six, step out of that container and take a seat." he commanded. The cyborg stepped forward and looked side to side at the two orderlies.

"Threat detected, level…insignificant." he said, his voice, dark and filtered through his breather, which rasped quietly. He stepped around the titanium chair and sat down, staring quietly forward. The orderlies moved in and tapped a few buttons and manacles wrapped around the Unit's wrists and ankles. The Doc adjusted his tie and cleared his throat.

"I am Doctor Carter Owens." he said. "I'm-"

"Unimportant." the Unit interrupted. Carter paused.

"Excuse me?"

"I do not understand your purpose. I do not have need for a doctor. I am already dead. And I seriously doubt you have a degree in advanced robotics." Carter coughed and adjusted his tie before taking up his cigarette again and dragging on it nervously.

"No... I'm a criminologist. I was simply going to ask you some questions. Is that alright?" he asked. The Unit sat silently for a moment.

"If you must." Carter nodded and thumbed through a small folder resting on the table.

"Unit designation Six Sixty Six, cybernetic construct built during the war as an expendable soldier under the top secret Advanced Cybernetic Weapon Program, one of twenty-three known remaining such Weapon Units. Status… extremely hostile." Carter read from the file. "You are declared rogue and dangerous in the extreme. You have hospitalized numerous heroes in the Siren's Call territory and robbed several banks in Paragon city."

Carter set his burning cigarette in the ashtray and looked forward at Weapon Six Sixty Six.

"You have done your homework." Weapon said smugly. He looked down at the restraints holding his arms down and then back up at Carter.

"You'll forgive me, but you are a murderer." he said, gesturing to the manacles. "Those are for our safety."

Weapon nodded.

"I do not blame you." he said darkly.

"Yes…moving on, you were built to protect these people, why do you attack them instead?" Carter asked, thumbing through the papers.

"You are mistaken." Weapon said. Carter looked up from the papers.

"I am?"

"I was built to kill. I am a weapon and nothing more." Carter sat quietly for a moment before looking back at the files.

"Says here, under the declassified Weapon Program files, that your body was appropriated for cybernetic modification. Your genetic structure was in a state of flux, which, for Paragon City, isn't uncommon, but they saw it as a chance to study how the enhancements took to mutant flesh. They removed your damaged tissue and organs and replaced them with cybernetic enhancements and clad you in lightweight mesh armor. In the process of activation you attacked and killed five research and three military personnel and escaped. The next reported sighting was on Mercy Island by a Longbow Recon team, which was shortly there after, killed." Weapon nodded.

"Yes, I do remember them. Unfortunately your information is wrong. I did not escape after slaughtering those scientists." he began. "They stabbed a neural dampener into the base of my skull and shorted out my cybernetic systems. I was stored in the Ziggurksy Maximum Security Penitentiary. You have Arachnos to thank for my release." Carter coughed and inked in the new information. Weapon tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair rhythmically.

"Okay, anything else you wish to add?" he asked. Weapon leaned forward as far as the restraints would allow.

"Yes. Why do you care?" Carter looked up from the notes and stared strangely at Weapon.

"Pardon?"

"What business do you have with me? You know I would just as soon kill you as answer you." he said, glancing down at the restraints with his human eye.

"I… I'm compiling data for Longbow." Carter said. "They want me to make sure they know everything about you."

"And where are we?" he asked.

"Well, we're in the Bloody Bay Longbow base." Carter mumbled.

Weapon sat silently for a moment before nodding. "Ah yes, Bloody Bay. I know it well. Continue…"

"My next question is simple. Why do you kill? There are numerous other surviving Units that work in unison with Longbow and the Paragon Police Department to ensure safety, but you, you slaughter for no reason."

"Ah, you are referring to my 'brothers' and 'sisters'. There is one major difference between them and myself." he said. Carter looked up from the files and looked Weapon in the eyes.

"And what's that?" he asked. Weapon looked left and right at the orderlies and then slowly craned his head back to look at Carter.

"I will show you…" he said darkly. He leaned back in the chair and stared forward silently. Carter watched him, chewing nervously on the filter of his smoldering cigarette. Slowly a low-pitched hum built up in the room. Carter looked up at the fluorescent lights questioningly.

"What is that?" he asked, standing up. The orderlies looked around the room nervously. Carter's eyes darted back to Weapon as an arc of coruscating green energy sparked of him and hit the table. Carter leapt back and pressed himself flat against the wall. A small patch of the table turned white hot and dripped bubbling metal onto the floor.

"Orderlies! Stop him!" Carter barked as another bolt of energy arced into the wall next to him, burning a hole through it into the hallway. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the arcing green electricity ceased and green energy flowed from his eyes like flame. The orderlies flicked on their stun batons and moved in. Weapon turned and looked at the nearest one as bright green energy seeped from his eyes. In a flash Weapon broke his arms free, the titanium cracking like porcelain and grabbed Zeke by the neck.

He raised him up into the air, laughing darkly as he did so. Orson swung and cracked his baton into the back of Weapon's head. The baton crackled and sent ten thousand volts surging through Weapon's body. He turned slowly to look at the frightened blonde orderly. His free hand lunged out suddenly and rammed into Orson's chest.

The orderly gasped and stumbled back a step as his white uniform slowly became red. Three black metal claws dripping with blood slowly retracted back into Weapon's hand. The orderly dropped to the floor, gurgling as blood flooded his lungs. Without returning his gaze to Zeke, Weapon flicked his wrist and snapped Zeke's neck, ending his struggling.

He dropped the body to the floor and slowly turned his burning gaze to Carter.

"You see…unlike my dear, deluded brothers, I know my purpose." he said, punctuating his words with menacing steps towards the frightened doctor.

The black claws slowly slid from the back of his hands once more, still slick with the orderly's blood, and locked into place. He reached out and grabbed Carter by the throat and lifted him from his feet.

"I embrace my reason for living." he said, stabbing the claws of his free hand into Carter's shoulder and twisting sharply, dislodging his shoulder from its place in a torrent of blood. Carter shrieked and clutched at it, feebly trying to stifle the blood oozing from his body. He dropped Carter on the floor and turned to the table and eyed the helmet resting on it. He reached out and took it in his hands, staring at his own reflection in the blast shield.

"I am what I was programmed to be." he said proudly, sliding the helmet on his head and sealing it to his suit. "What I was made to be. What your scientists wanted most."

"I… am a Weapon." he muttered, turning back to Carter. His form shifted and faded, as though suddenly he was no longer in sync with reality. The reality of the room break and wrapping around him as he stood there. He waved to Carter as he faded into nothingness.

"Goodbye, Doctor." he said, his voice fading. "You will hear from me again."

And with that, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Retrieval

**W**arden Bauer stared quietly at the footage from the security camera, his fingers steepled in fronted of him. He'd been reviewing the tape for the last half hour.

"Doctor Owens has been treated for his injuries?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the screen. From behind him a red haired young woman in the Longbow livery stepped forward, a clipboard in her hands.

"Yes sir, though, they weren't able to save his arm. He's currently under watch in the Infirmary. The orderlies are dead. Zeke's neck was broken in three places, and Orson drowned in his own blood. Both men left behind families." she said quietly.

Bauer sighed and paused the video, freezing the image of Weapon 666-X breaking free from his restraints.

"What was he after?" he muttered.

"Sir?"

"Weapon. Look at how he broke the restraints." Bauer said, gesturing to the video. "He could've ripped his way out of the box at any time and escaped. No…he wanted something."

Suddenly the control room burst into red light, loud warning klaxons began blaring. Bauer was on his feet in an instant.

"Report!"

"Sir! Someone's breaking into the evidence vault!" shouted a soldier who'd turned from his console to look at the Warden. "No response from the vault team!"

Bauer grabbed his helmet and strapped it on.

"Tell Nullifiers O'Leary and Benitez to meet me at the vault immediately!" he shouted as spines slowly pushed through his skin and uniform.

**W**eapon strode casually into the vault, dragging one of the Longbow vault guards, suddenly surrounded by hundreds of millions of dollars worth of confiscated weapons, devices and magical artifacts. Everything here could set him for his unnaturally long life when sold on the black market.

"It must be here…" he rasped looking around the vault, ignoring the blaring klaxons. He hauled the Longbow soldier in his hands up off the floor by his uniform. The wounded man struggled feebly in his grasp, his feet kicking at the air.

"Let me go!" he cried, clawing at Weapon's armored gauntlets. Weapon pulled him close, the soldier's face staring back at him from Weapon's reflective helmet.

"Where is article three five seven dash eight?" he asked. The soldier glared at his reflection and spit in Weapon's face.

"Go to hell!" he said defiantly. Weapon shook his head.

"I am a bit short on time…" he said and threw the man into the armored vault wall. The man slid down it to the floor in a disheveled heap. Weapon strode over to him and planted his boot on the man's shoulder, pinning him down. The Longbow grabbed at Weapon's foot, trying to pry the cyborg's weight off. Weapon leaned forward, pressing his weight down.

"Now…this can go easy…" he said slowly, "Or it can go really easy." Three black claws slowly extended from the back of Weapon's hand and locked into place. The soldier stared in wide-eyed terror at the blades, still slick with the blood of his team. His eyes darted left and he nodded his head slightly.

"Th-there…" he stammered. "It's over there…" Weapon craned his head around and looked to where the man was nodding. He stood up and took his weight off the wounded soldier.

"Quick learner..." he said and strode over to a small clerical table. A single light illuminated an open file and a black rifle. Weapon picked up the rifle and turned it over in his hands before turning to leave.

"Halt in the name of Longbow!"

Weapon stopped and turned. The wounded soldier stood against the wall, a confiscated Arachnos submachine gun in his shaking hands.

"You really do not want to-"

"Shut up! Drop the weapon and surrender!" the soldier interrupted. Weapon hissed the closest approximation of a sigh his artificial breather could manage. He turned his back on the soldier and began walking away.

"I warned you!" the soldier barked, and fired. A staccato of rapid fire echoed through the vault as the rounds smacked into Weapon's back. His armored mesh tore and his cybernetic components sparked as the rounds punched into them. Weapon spun around, fixing his mirrored faceplate on the soldier.

"No! I warned you!" he snarled. Weapon dashed forward in an instant, his claws extended. The soldier shrieked as Weapon wrapped his hand around his throat and hurled him bodily across the room. He slid slowly down the wall and crumpled to the floor.

"Fool…" Weapon muttered as he stared down at him. Suddenly he stumbled forward and fell to one knee. Brackish vital fluid spilled onto the floor in thick globules intermixed with bright sparks. Weapon looked down slowly, his optics tracing over a large boney spike protruding from his side.

"Don't move Weapon! It's over!"

Weapon turned, slowly pushing himself to his feet. Warden Bauer stepped into the vault, several boney spikes sticking out of his flesh and uniform. He wrapped his hands around two spikes and pulled, sliding them free. Weapon looked down at the one dripping his stasis fluid onto the floor.

"You threw it at me?" he hissed, as he tore it from his body in a torrent of thick slime and threw it aside. Weapon's claws snapped into place and he curled his hands into tight fists. Suddenly there was the clamor of feet on deck plating. A dozen soldiers poured in behind Bauer and raised their rifles, training them on Weapon. Weapon's sensors flicked on, scanning the mob of soldiers. A circular reticule locked around each person and turned bright red in his helmet.

"_Number of targets, thirteen. Threat level, significant. Recommendation, evacuation."_ his defense system whispered in his head.

"No retreat." he hissed taking a step forward. The Longbow teams visibly tensed, their fingers tightening on the triggers. Bauer raised his arm, ready to impale Weapon once more. "No surrender." He planted his foot once more, drawing closer still. "Only death!"

"Fire!" Bauer shouted. As one, twelve automatic rifles erupted, spitting fire and death at Weapon. Bauer snapped his arm back and let another large spike fly. Weapon spasmed as bullets riveted his armor and the second spike stabbed through his thigh, dropping him to one knee. A well placed rifle round cracked his faceplate and knocked him onto his back.

"_Systems damaged. Stasis fluid at sixty percent capacity and dropping. Armor integrity at forty-three percent maximum. Battle lost, recommendation, retreat."_ his sensors whispered again.

"Stay down, Weapon!" Bauer said. "This doesn't have to get worse."

Weapon pushed himself up to a seated position, his wounds leaking stasis fluid. He clamped his hand over the wound in his abdomen and slowly stood up. Bauer eyed him warily, and raised another spike.

"I….am not beaten…" he hissed as the darkened fluid oozed between his fingers. Fractured bits of his faceplate clattered to the ground revealing his pallid flesh beneath, his one eye fixed on Bauer. He staggered forward, his wound pumping viscous fluid onto the floor. His breathing came in sharp ragged intakes, his respirator wheezing with effort.

"Stand down Weapon. This is ridic-"

"Shut up!" he barked as he stumbled forward another step. "Do not… bore me with your heroic babble."

The fluid oozing from his wounds began to darken as what little blood his body still contained began to mix with it. The glow in his cybernetic eye began to fade as his systems began to shut down.

"_Warning: stasis system failing. Total system shut down in T-minus three minutes." _

Weapon dropped to his knees, as his systems began to fail. Bauer pointed at him, and the Longbow team moved forward slowly.

"It's over. Unit six sixty six, I hereby place you under arrest to be tried and sentenced for crimes against super humanity and the people of Paragon City."

Weapon jerked and gurgled where he kneeled. Bauer and the rest of the Longbow soldiers froze as the gurgling became a dark foreboding laughter. Weapon threw his head back and cackled madly. Bauer cocked his head to the side.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like…" he began, suddenly his eyes widened and he pointed at Weapon. "Stop him! He's…" But it was too late. A white light flooded the room followed by a loud crack of air pressure as dimensions merged. There was a second thunderclap and then quiet. Bauer's spines slowly retracted into his body and he let out a long sigh. Weapon was gone.


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

**H**is world was silent. He could feel himself dying; feel every organic part as they shut down. His internal sensors whispered his status quietly into his head. None of it was good, he was in bad shape. Then something new came to him. He could hear voices, faint and distant. Slowly they became clearer and familiar.

"How's he doing?" It was a woman's voice, laden with worry.

"He's really banged up… though, that's not unusual for him." A second woman's voice, with what seems like amusement in it.

"True, but he's never come back to us with gaping holes in his gut."

"What do you mean? Just last week he came home with Arachnoid claw marks in him. He even had a pair of poisonous tusks stuck in the small of his back."

He remembered that. He'd been hired to clear their nest out of the Gutter in Grandville. That poison had dissolved significant portions of his back armor.

"Is he conscious?" the concerned voice asked. There was a pause, long and thoughtful.

"Yeah. He's just a being baby. Wake up Weapie!"

Slowly Weapon's eye opened. Two women stood over him. One with flowing white hair with a faint purple sheen and a small mask made of chitinous plating over her eyes. Medea Nightshade, threat level 50. The other had short blonde hair hidden beneath military beret and her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Masisteria, also threat level 50. Two of the most feared super villains in the Rogue Isles.

"Sit up Weapie." Masisteria said with a smile. Weapon slowly sat up, feeling his wounds pinch slightly. He looked down at the fresh pink scar tissue on his gut and leg. His left optic whirred and clicked as it focused on them, feeding information directly into his head.

"Masisteria, I…" he began, but a stern look from Masisteria stopped him from finishing.

"Now Weapie, what did I tell you to call me?" she said. Weapon stared silently at her for a moment.

"I retrieved your weapon… Massy." he said. Masisteria smiled and nodded.

"That's better." she said with a smile. "I know you did Weapie, and I'm very happy."

Weapon looked from side to side, feeling his hair shift. He raised his left hand and felt the cold metal of his exo-skeleton against the bare skin of his face. His helmet was off. The breather still rested over his mouth and nose, working in tandem with his lungs to pump air into his bloodstream. He slid his legs off the side of the table and set them on the floor, feeling the cold through his remaining foot.

"I have been… relieved of my armor." he said, looking at himself in a mirror. His body was a patchwork of scar tissue and cybernetic implants. As he stood, an auto-doc floated behind him and prodded the fresh scar tissue on his back with various needles before floating back to its small hanger in the ceiling.

"We had to get you fixed up Weapie." Medea said. She walked up behind him and leaned against his shoulder. "You know Weapie; we're running out of spare parts. You should really try to dodge some of these bullets next time."

"Suggestion noted." he said. "Where is my armor?" Massy smiled and poked her head into the next room. Six men sat around a small wooden table playing cards and laughing raucously.

"Boys, be dears and fetch Weapie's armor." she said quietly. The men stopped altogether and looked at Masisteria. The biggest of them nodded and put out his cigar in the ashtray before he stood up and strode off. He returned shortly pushing a large metal container on a dolly.

"'Ere you are ma'am." he said before going back to the game. Weapon strode over to the container and opened it. He stared quietly at the contents and then turned to the girls.

"This is not my normal armor." he said. Medea smiled and reached into the container and pulled out and armored shoulder pad with three large spikes protruding from it.

"No Weapie, its better." she said and tossed him the shoulder pad. He caught it in one hand and looked it over. Beneath his rasping breather, his dead lips curled into a wicked smile. Things were going to become… interesting.


End file.
